The Lao leaders were elected to the positions at the first session of the 8th National Assembly of Laos which opened in Vientiane yesterday.

In their messages, the Vietnamese leaders expressed their belief that under new leadership, the Lao people will successfully implement the Resolution of the 10th Congress of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and the country’s Socio-economic Plan for 2016-2020, thus promoting industrialisation and modernisation, and increasing the position of the nation in the international arena.

The Vietnamese leaders affirmed that they will continue working closely with their Lao counterparts in further strengthening and deepening the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries, for the interest of both peoples, and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

On the same day, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Phạm Bình Minh sent his congratulations to the new Foreign Minister of Laos, Salomsay Commasith. — VNS